King Works to Return Parenting Rights Back to Parents

KING WORKS TO RETURN PARENTING RIGHTS BACK TO PARENTS

Parental Permission Needed to Give Minors Aspirin, Why Not Abortions?

Washington, D.C.— With the support of Iowa Congressman Steve King, the U.S. House of Representatives last night passed legislation by a vote of 270 - 157 to return to parents the right to make decisions affecting their own children.

The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA) would make it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines in order to circumvent a state law requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision.

Although 44 states have enacted parental involvement statutes for underage girls seeking abortions, often people outside the family take girls across state lines to circumvent these laws. The other adults are frequently grown men who have sexually exploited the young girls.

"We must not continue to allow people to work around these state laws, when frequently those who are taking these girls and forcing them to have secret, out-of-state abortions are rapists, older men or abusive boyfriends who use the abortion to cover their own tracks," said King.

Secondly, CIANA would require abortion providers to notify a parent or guardian before performing an abortion on a minor in states without a parental notification requirement when she is a resident of a state that requires parental notification for abortions on underage girls.

King deemed it a major victory which returns fundamental parenting rights back to parents and protects the health and safety of young girls.

"School nurses must obtain parental permission to dispense aspirin to our kids, but when a child is seeking an abortion, the parents aren't notified," said King.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ia05_king/pr_050428parentingrights.html